GreenSam":25u2x9kj said:Can I just interject?
I think there is no reasonable ground to assume that the players showed their support for Smalley due to some distasteful comments that were made on here and on other mediums. Far more likely surely that they just made a gesture in support of a friend and colleague who suffered a nasty injury. It was undoubtedly a nice gesture but it was one that could very easily have been motivated purely by compassion for Smalley. Such gestures are fairly commonplace in football and may well have taken place without the comments. Of course they didn't do it 'for world peace' but they may have just done it for the injury in general.
As for the comments specifically, it goes without saying that I don't support or condone such comments and in all fairness two of the people who made them have now admitted it was wrong. I agree with the point being made that real people play for Argyle and not just footballers who disappear when the game is over. I'll be honest, I did read some of the comments and bash my head against a wall. It's good that two of the people who made them have been gentlemanly enough to admit they were wrong. However:
I struggle to see the need for John Harbin to make such a public reference to it in his program notes. When there is such a feelgood feeling around the club and by and large the team and fans are happier with eachother than they have been in years, why mention this one example of tastelessness? Why, when the team dug in so well and there was such a memorable, magic moment with Curtis Nelson geeing up the fans after his injury to support the lads at 3-2 up in Northampton, could he not have resisted the urge to alert the public to what was essentially a minority of silly comments. People type crude stuff without thinking on the internet. I've done it, most people reading this will have done it. If you haven't, then fair play to you you're in a minority. I take on board that the seemingly faceless nature of the internet means that many people do not exercise the same discretion as they normally would in other conversations. However, surely that is even more of a reason not to shame people for falling into the very trap that so many have fallen into.
I don't mean to turn this into a massive dig at John Harbin because from all I have heard about him and from the impression I picked up at the meet the fans meeting a few weeks ago, he is an absolute asset to PAFC. He seems like a great and inspirational guy who genuinely cares about our players as human beings. He seems like a fantastic and straightforward person who has done wonders in his time here and whose wisdom has helped PAFC's players on both a footballing and personal level. Therefore I can absolutely understand why reading some comments would rile him (and perhaps rile the players themselves). I don't for a moment expect them to read what was said and laugh along with it. I get that they're gonna read it and be pi$$ed off.
However, I really struggle to see any merits in giving them the oxygen of publicity. All in all, these are pretty good times for PAFC from CEO level downwards. Why, when there's so much good stuff going on to write about, focus on a few people doing something we've all done which is 'press the send button without thinking' on an online forum. I can emphasise with why JH reacted the way he did but I feel he should have not given such daft comments airtime in the matchday program. I don't necessarily disagree with what he said but I disagree with publishing his thoughts on the matter. Ever heard of the saying 'don't feed the trolls'? All it served to do is dampen the feel good factor at the club and alert more people to the negative comments who would otherwise never have heard of them.
Let sleeping dogs lie eh Sam?
Good on John Harbin, glad he voiced this and the more stick trolls get, the happier normal people will be.
Saying that, Steve has apologised and that does it for me.
However, can't help but think whilst Steve Evans was mentioned to me, JH was aiming at the Pip Squeak Squad on Twitter.
Some of the things these guys say is truly cringeworthy and no wonder why people have got the hump.